JP6977035B2 - Flavor generation segments, as well as flavor generation articles and flavor suction systems equipped with them. - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flavor generating segment, as well as a flavor generating article and a flavor suction system comprising the flavor generating segment.

A non-burning flavor suction system is being developed as an alternative to conventional tobacco. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a tobacco segment that has been crimped and gathered, and a non-combustible aerosol suction system including the segment. In the tobacco segment, the sheet is solidly filled. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a non-combustion type aerosol suction system including a rod made by laminating a smokeable material or the like.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-515274 International Publication No. 2016/156510

Although it is required to obtain a better flavor in the non-combustion type flavor suction system, there is still room for improvement in the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a flavor generating segment that gives a good flavor and taste, a flavor generating article provided with the flavor generating segment, and a flavor suction system.

The inventors have found that a flavor-generating segment having a specific structure solves the above-mentioned problems, and have completed the present invention. That is, the above problem is solved by the following invention.
[1] A flavor generation segment including a plurality of flavor generation sheets.
The plurality of flavor generating sheets extend in the longitudinal direction and are arranged concentrically about the longitudinal axis.
A flavor-generating segment having at least one pair of adjacent flavor-generating sheets having a non-contact portion in which the flavor-generating sheets do not come into contact with each other.
[2] The flavor generation segment according to [1], further comprising a contact portion in which the flavor generation sheets are in contact with each other between at least one pair of adjacent flavor generation sheets.
[3] The flavor generation segment according to [2], which has two or more of the contact portions and the non-contact portions are formed between the contact portions.
[4] The maximum value of the interlayer distance between two adjacent flavor generating sheets is larger than the maximum value of the flavor generating sheet thickness of at least one of the two adjacent flavor generating sheets, [1] to "3". The flavor generation segment described in any of.
[5] The flavor according to any one of [1] to [4], which has a space extending in the longitudinal direction between the longitudinal axis which is the center of the arrangement and the flavor generation sheet in the innermost layer. Occurrence segment.
[6] A heat transfer sheet extending in the longitudinal direction is further included between the longitudinal axis, which is the center of the arrangement, and the flavor generation sheet in the innermost layer, and the heat transfer sheet is concentric with the flavor generation sheet. The flavor generation segment according to any one of [1] to [5], which is arranged in.
[7] The flavor generation segment according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein at least one of the plurality of flavor generation sheets is surface-processed on at least a part or all of one surface. ..
[8] The flavor generation segment according to [7], wherein the surface processing is a crimping process.
[9] The flavor generation segment according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein the circumference of the flavor generation sheet in the outermost layer is longer than the circumference of the flavor generation sheet in the innermost layer.
[10] The flavor generating sheet is continuous in the circumferential direction, and both ends in the circumferential direction are close to each other or in contact with each other, or one end is arranged beyond the other end, [1] to The flavor generation segment according to any one of [9].
[11] The flavor generation segment according to any one of [1] to [10], wherein each flavor generation sheet does not have an overlapping portion on which one flavor generation sheet overlaps.
[12] The flavor generation segment according to any one of [1] to [11], wherein both ends of each flavor generation sheet are separated in the circumferential direction.
[13] The flavor generation segment according to [12], wherein the separated portions of the flavor generating sheets are present at substantially equal positions in the circumferential direction.
[14] The flavor generation segment according to any one of [1] to [13], wherein the shape is maintained by the restoring force of the flavor generation sheet.
[15] The flavor generation segment according to any one of [1] to [14], wherein the restoring force of the innermost flavor generating sheet is larger than the restoring force of the other flavor generating sheets.
[16] The flavor generation segment according to any one of [1] to [15], wherein the flavor generation sheet in the innermost layer is not surface-processed.
[17] The flavor generating sheet of the innermost layer is not adhered to a region where one end exceeds the other end or the other end in the circumferential direction, [1] to [11], [13] to [16]. ] The flavor generation segment described in any of.
[18] The flavor generation segment according to any one of [1] to [17], which comprises a wrapper on the outside of the flavor generation sheet of the outermost layer.
[19] A flavor-generating article comprising the flavor-generating segment and filter according to any one of [1] to [18] above, which can be sucked from the filter side.
[20] A flavor suction system comprising the flavor generation segment according to any one of [1] to [18] and a heater for heating the flavor generation segment.
[21] The flavor generating segment has a space extending in the longitudinal direction between the longitudinal axis which is the center of the arrangement and the flavor generating sheet of the innermost layer, and at least a part of the heater is said to be concerned. The flavor suction system according to [20], which has a shape that can be positioned in a space.
[22] The flavor suction system according to [21], wherein the heater is a flat plate or cylindrical heater.
[23] In the cross section seen from the end face direction in the longitudinal direction of the flavor generating segment, the area of the void existing from the flavor generating sheet of the innermost layer to the longitudinal axis side which is the center of the arrangement is the flavor generating sheet of the innermost layer. The flavor suction system according to [21], which is smaller than the area of the non-contact portion existing from the outer peripheral side.
[24] The flavor suction system according to any one of [20] to [23], wherein the heater is a sheet-shaped heater and is arranged concentrically with the flavor generating sheet.
[25] One of [20] to [24], wherein the flavor generating segment has a heat transfer sheet extending in the longitudinal direction and having a heat transfer sheet arranged concentrically with the flavor generating sheet. The flavor suction system described.
[26] The flavor suction system according to [25], wherein the heat transfer sheet and the heater are adjacent to each other.

The figure which shows one aspect of the flavor suction system of this invention. The figure which shows the outline of the flavor generation segment of this invention. The figure which shows the outline of a part of the flavor generation segment of this invention. The figure which shows one aspect of arrangement of a flavor generation sheet The figure which shows the outline of the flavor generating article of this invention. Diagram showing the arrangement of heaters Diagram showing the outline of S _OUT and S _in The figure which shows the outline of the manufacturing method of the flavor generation segment of this invention. The figure which shows one aspect of arrangement of a flavor generation sheet

In the present invention, the flavor generation segment is a base material for generating flavor. The flavor-generating article is an article that includes at least a flavor-generating segment and is capable of generating a flavor or an article capable of sucking a flavor. The flavor-generating article includes a flavor-generating segment, but the flavor-generating segment itself may be a flavor-generating article. The flavor suction system is a combination of a flavor generating article and a heating unit equipped with a heater.

1. 1. Flavor generation segment The flavor generation segment of the present invention comprises a plurality of concentrically arranged flavor generation sheets. In the present invention, the sheet refers to a shape having a pair of substantially parallel main surfaces and side surfaces. The sheet is preferably manufactured by papermaking. The flavor generating segment constitutes a smokeable flavor generating article. In the present invention, the longitudinal direction of the flavor generating segment is a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the flavor generating sheet is wound. Specifically, the directions of h in FIG. 2A and L in FIG. 6 are longitudinal directions. Further, since the flavor-generating article is preferably rod-shaped, the longitudinal direction of the flavor-generating article may be regarded as the same as the longitudinal direction of the flavor-generating segment. An aspect of the flavor generation segment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 2A. In FIG. 2A, 10 is a flavor generating sheet, 12 is a longitudinal axis at the center of arrangement, 14 is a space, 16 is a heat transfer sheet, and 18 is a separation portion. The shape of the flavor generating segment of the present invention is not limited, but it is preferably columnar. The flavor generation segment 1 of the present invention preferably has a columnar shape satisfying a shape having an aspect ratio of 1 or more as defined below.
Aspect ratio = h / w
w is the width of the bottom surface of the columnar body, h is the height, and h ≧ w is preferable. However, in the present invention, as described above, the longitudinal direction is defined as the direction indicated by h. Therefore, even when w ≧ h, the direction indicated by h is referred to as the longitudinal direction for convenience. The shape of the bottom surface is not limited and may be a polygon, a polygon with rounded corners, a circle, an ellipse, etc. If there is, it is the diameter of the circumscribed circle or the major axis of the circumscribed ellipse. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A, since the bottom surface is a circle, its diameter can be recognized. The diameter is the width w, and the length orthogonal to the width is the height h. The height h of the flavor generation segment 1 is preferably about 5 to 20 mm, and the width w is preferably about 4 to 9 mm. Although not shown, the flavor generation segment 1 may have a wrapper on the outermost side. The wrapper may be rolled paper or may be composed of a flavor generating sheet 10.

The flavor generating sheet is a sheet that generates flavor, and examples thereof include a sheet in which a component that can generate flavor is supported on a sheet base material, or a sheet made of a material that generates flavor. A plurality of flavor generation sheets are arranged concentrically to form a flavor generation segment. Examples of the component that can generate a flavor include a flavor component contained in a tobacco raw material, a flavor component such as menthol, and the like. Examples of the sheet base material include tobacco materials such as compressed tobacco pellets and tobacco powder. In the present invention, a tobacco material is preferable as the sheet base material. That is, as the flavor generating sheet, a tobacco sheet in which a component capable of generating flavor is supported on a base sheet of a tobacco material as needed is preferable. The flavor generating sheet may generate an aerosol as it is heated. Further aerosol sources such as polyols such as glycerin, propylene glycol and 1,3-butanediol may be added to promote the generation of aerosols. The amount of the aerosol source added is preferably 5 to 50% by weight, more preferably 10 to 30% by weight, based on the dry weight of the flavor generating sheet. In addition, polyols such as glycerin, propylene glycol, and 1,3-butanediol may be added as flavor components. The flavor generating sheet is also an aerosol generating sheet if it contains an aerosol source or if the flavor component produces an aerosol.

First, an aerosol generation sheet as a material before being arranged concentrically will be described.

1) Preparation When the flavor generating sheet is a tobacco sheet, the tobacco sheet can be appropriately manufactured by a known method such as papermaking, slurry, rolling, or the like. Specifically, in the case of papermaking, it can be manufactured by a method including the following steps. 1) The dried leaf tobacco raw material is coarsely crushed, extracted with water, and separated into a water extract and a residue. 2) The water extract is dried under reduced pressure and concentrated. 3) Pulp is added to the residue, fiberized with a refiner, and then made into paper. 4) Add a concentrated solution of water extract to the paper-made sheet to make a dried tobacco sheet. In this case, a step of removing a part of the component such as nitrosamine may be added (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-510422). In the case of the slurry method, it can be produced by a method including the following steps. 1) Mix water pulp binder and crushed tobacco. 2) The mixture is thinly spread (cast) and dried. In addition, as described in International Publication No. 2014/104078, a non-woven fabric-like tobacco sheet produced by a method including the following steps can also be used. 1) Mix the powdered tobacco raw material and the binder. 2) The mixture is sandwiched between non-woven fabrics. 3) The laminate is formed into a constant shape by heat welding to obtain a non-woven fabric-like tobacco sheet. The composition of the tobacco sheet is not particularly limited, but for example, the content of the tobacco raw material is preferably 50 to 95% by weight based on the total weight of the tobacco sheet. Further, the tobacco sheet may contain a binder, and examples of the binder include guar gum, xanthan gum, CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), CMC-Na (sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose) and the like. The amount of binder is preferably 2 to 20% by weight based on the total weight of the tobacco sheet. The tobacco sheet may further contain other additives. Examples of the additive include a filler such as pulp. As mentioned above, the tobacco sheet contains ingredients that can generate flavor. Although a plurality of tobacco sheets are used in the present invention, all of the tobacco sheets may have the same composition or physical properties, or some or all of the tobacco sheets may have different compositions or physical properties. When the flavor generating sheet is other than the tobacco sheet, for example, a sheet using plant pulp other than the tobacco raw material as the sheet base material can be used.

2) Dimensions, etc. The shape of the flavor generating sheet is not limited, but the shape of the main surface of the sheet is preferably rectangular. The thickness is not limited, but 200 to 600 μm is preferable in consideration of high-efficiency heat exchange, the strength of the flavor generating segment, and the like. The thickness of each flavor generating sheet may be the same or different. The length corresponding to the peripheral length when arranged concentrically is referred to as the flavor generation sheet width W, and the length corresponding to the flavor generation segment length is referred to as the flavor generation sheet length L. It is preferable that L is the same for all flavor generation sheets. With respect to W, it is preferable that the W of the flavor generating sheet constituting the outermost layer when arranged concentrically is larger than the W of the flavor generating sheet forming the innermost layer. The reason for this will be described later.

3) Surface processing It is preferable that at least one of the plurality of flavor generating sheets is surface-processed on at least a part or all of one surface. In the present invention, the surface processing means a processing for forming a plurality of irregularities on at least one main surface of the flavor generating sheet, that is, the front surface or the back surface. The surface processing method is not particularly limited, and known processing such as crimping, embossing, debossing, and half-cutting can be used. In the present invention, the crimping process is a process of providing wrinkles on the sheet. For example, by passing a flavor generating sheet between a pair of rollers having a plurality of protrusions on the surface, wrinkles extending orthogonally to the sheet transport direction are provided on both the front surface and the back surface of the flavor generating sheet to perform crimping. be able to. The convex portion provided on the roller extends orthogonally to the sheet transport direction. The pitch between the vertices of the convex portions provided on the roller is preferably 0.5 to 2.0 mm. Therefore, the pitch of the flavor generating sheet is preferably 0.5 to 2.0 mm. Further, the pitch of the flavor generating sheet is preferably 1.5 to 20% with respect to the peripheral length of the wrapper or the wrapping paper. Further, the height H of the unevenness formed by crimping is preferably _{1.05T av to} 1.59T _{av, where T av is the average thickness of the sheet.} The height H is defined as the distance from the bottom of the sheet to the top of the sheet when the crimped sheet is placed on a horizontal surface. Embossing and debossing are processes in which a convex processing tool is pressed against the sheet to form recesses on one or both sides of the sheet, and half-cut processing is the process in which the sheet is not cut on one or both sides of the sheet. This is a process of providing a notch with a depth of, preferably less than half the thickness of the sheet. A knife or laser can be used for half-cut processing. As will be described later, by subjecting the flavor generating sheet to a surface treatment, it is possible to efficiently form a non-contact portion, preferably a gap described later, when arranged concentrically. However, it is preferable that the innermost layer of the flavor generating sheet is not surface-processed. The pitches between the vertices of the convex portions of the flavor generating sheet may be the same or different in the same sheet. Further, the pitch between the vertices of the convex portions of each flavor generating sheet may be different or the same for each sheet.

Next, the flavor generation sheets arranged concentrically will be described.

1) Multiple flavor generating sheets arranged concentrically Each flavor generating sheet extends in the longitudinal direction of the flavor generating segment by winding molding or the like and is arranged concentrically. In the present invention, "arranged concentrically" means that the centers of all flavor generating sheets are arranged so as to be substantially at the same position. However, when the flavor generating sheet is arranged in an elliptical cross section, the intersection of the major axis and the minor axis is the center. The axis that passes through the center and is parallel to the longitudinal direction is called the "longitudinal axis that is the center of the arrangement" or simply the "central axis of the arrangement". As shown in FIG. 2A, the central axis 12 of the arrangement is preferably the same as the axis passing through the center of the cross section of the flavor generating segment 1, that is, the central axis of the flavor generating segment, but is deviated from the central axis of the flavor generating segment 1. May be good. As described above, in the present invention, the aspect in which the center is eccentric is also said to be "concentrically arranged". For example, when the width of the flavor generating segment 1 is 2R, the central axis 12 of the arrangement may be displaced outward by about 0.1R to 0.7R from the central axis of the flavor generating segment 1. In the present invention, the number of flavor generating sheets 10 arranged concentrically is preferably 3 to 12. By setting the number of flavor generation sheets to such a number, a sufficient amount of flavor components can be generated, a sufficient space can be secured as a gap described later, and the delivery efficiency of the generated flavor can be enhanced. Further, the plurality of flavor generating sheets contained in the flavor generating segment preferably have a total weight of 130 mg to 685 mg, preferably 200 mg to 350 mg.

Since each flavor-generating sheet is arranged so as to have a non-contact portion between adjacent sheets, it has a non-contact portion between at least one pair of the adjacent flavor-generating sheets so that the flavor-generating sheets do not come into contact with each other. In this case, there is an embodiment 1 in which adjacent flavor generating sheets are not completely in contact with each other in the circumferential direction, and an embodiment having a contact portion in which the flavor generating sheets are in contact with each other between at least one pair of adjacent flavor generating sheets. 2 exists. In the present invention, "arranged concentrically" also includes aspect 2.

As described above, the flavor generating sheet contains an aerosol source such as glycerin, and it is preferable to adjust the weight of the aerosol source contained in each flavor generating sheet so that the delivery of the aerosol is uniform throughout the suction. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, consider the case where the positions A to C are specified from the center of the flavor generation segment toward the outside, and sheets having the same thickness are present in the regions including the positions (FIG. 7). (B)). In this case, if the weight of the aerosol source of each sheet is the same, the weight of the aerosol source per sheet thickness is the same. Therefore, the amounts of aerosol sources that can be generated at the positions A, B, and C can be made substantially the same.

On the other hand, when there are sheets having different thicknesses in the region including the position (FIG. 7 (c)), the weight of the aerosol source per sheet thickness is different even if the weight of the aerosol source of each sheet is the same. , B, C positions also differ in the amount of aerosol source that can be generated. In this case, if the sheet is designed so as to satisfy the following relationship, the amount of aerosol sources that can be generated at the positions A, B, and C can be made substantially the same.
X / a = Y / b = Z / c
a: Thickness of sheet A covering the position of A,
X: Weight of aerosol source contained in sheet A covering the position of A b: Thickness of sheet B covering the position of B,
Y: Weight of aerosol source contained in sheet B covering the position of B c: Thickness of sheet C covering the position of C,
Z: Weight of aerosol source contained in sheet C covering the position of C

For example, such a design can be made by providing a difference in the inner and outer circumferences of the sheets arranged in a cylindrical shape and a difference in the surface processing on the inner and outer surfaces. In the latter case, for example, a mode in which a large number of half cuts are provided on the inner surface and a small number of half cuts are provided on the surface can be considered.

Further, by changing the weights of the flavor component and the flavor component contained in the sheet in the sheet arranged inside and the sheet arranged outside, the flavor taste can be changed at a desired timing at the time of suction. can.

2) Non-contact portion The non-contact portion formed between the contact portion and the contact portion in the second aspect is referred to as a “gap”. In the second aspect, since a plurality of gaps are formed along the longitudinal direction between adjacent sheets, it is possible to secure a flavor flow path and improve the flavor delivery efficiency, and further to provide a contact portion. Since the heat from the heater can be transferred to the outer flavor generating sheet via the heater, the heat transfer efficiency can be improved. Therefore, aspect 2 is preferable in the present invention. In this case, it is more preferable that some or all of the gaps extend from the front end to the rear end of the flavor generating segment.

In the second aspect, at least one of the flavor generating sheets adjacent to the flavor generating sheet and the flavor generating sheet is in contact with each other at least partially, but the flavor generating sheets are plurality in the circumferential direction, that is, in the winding direction. It is preferable that they are in contact at each point. The method of bringing the adjacent flavor generating sheets into contact with each other in this way is not particularly limited, and for example, the above-mentioned surface processing may be applied to at least one flavor generating sheet, or the width of each flavor generating sheet may be changed. Can be done. In the present invention, as a method of bringing adjacent flavor generating sheets into contact with each other, it is preferable to apply a surface treatment to at least one of the above-mentioned flavor generating sheets. The surface-processed flavor generating sheet forms a convex portion in the circumferential direction when it is rolled up. By not allowing the positions of the convex portions of the adjacent flavor generating sheets to exist at the same position in the circumferential direction among the plurality of rolled-up flavor generating sheets, that is, by shifting the phase of the unevenness in the circumferential direction of each flavor generating sheet. The contact portion can be provided more reliably (see FIG. 2B). In FIG. 2B, C is a contact portion and V is a gap. The method of shifting the phase is not limited, but for example, the pitch of surface processing is changed for each flavor generating sheet, the thickness and width of each flavor generating sheet are changed, the force applied in the winding direction during winding molding is changed for each layer, and the like. The method can be mentioned. The contact portion does not need to be glued. When the flavor generating sheet includes a plurality of convex portions provided by the surface treatment, at least one of the convex portions may be in contact with the adjacent flavor generating sheet. In order to extend the gap from the front end to the rear end of the flavor generation segment, the longitudinal direction of the convex portion formed on the crimped sheet shall be parallel to or substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the flavor generation segment. Is preferable. The longitudinal direction of the convex portion is the direction in which the ridge line extends, and is the direction orthogonal to the sheet transport direction during processing by the crimping roller.

It is preferable that the maximum value Gmax of the interlayer distance between the two adjacent flavor generating sheets is larger than the maximum value Tmax of the flavor generating sheet thickness of at least one of the two adjacent flavor generating sheets. This can be confirmed by the following method. _{As shown in FIG. 2B, the maximum value G (n)} max is determined by measuring the interlayer distance n formed between the nth sheet and the (n + 1) th sheet in a certain cross section of the flavor generation segment 1. Next, the thicknesses of the nth sheet and the (n + 1) th sheet are measured to determine and compare the _{maximum values T (n)} max and T _{(n + 1) max.} This measurement is performed for all layers. For example, when the number of sheets is 4, the measurement is performed for the three layers. Then, it is confirmed that the following conditions are satisfied in the cross section.
G ₍₁₎ max> T ₍₁₎ max or G ₍₁₎ max> T ₍₂₎ max
G ₍₂₎ max> T ₍₂₎ max or G ₍₂₎ max> T ₍₃₎ max
G ₍₃₎ max> T ₍₃₎ max or G ₍₃₎ max> T ₍₄₎ max

When this relationship is satisfied by an arbitrary cross section, the maximum value Gmax of the interlayer distance between two adjacent flavor generating sheets is more than the maximum value Tmax of the flavor generating sheet thickness of at least one of the two adjacent flavor generating sheets. Is also big. When the measurement is difficult because the flavor generating sheet 10 is not fixed, it is preferable to measure as follows. First, the flavor generating segment 1 is impregnated with a low-viscosity curable resin (for example, an epoxy resin), the non-contact portion is filled with the resin, and then the resin is cured to prepare a sample for measurement. Then, the measurement is carried out while cutting the sample.

The ratio of the total amount of non-contact portions in the flavor generation segment (hereinafter, also referred to as “porosity”) is preferably 0.10 to 0.40, more preferably 0.15 to 0.36, and 0. It is particularly preferably .25 to 0.33. By setting the porosity in a preferable range, the flavor can be efficiently supplied. Further, by setting the porosity in a more preferable range, it is possible to maintain the efficient release of the flavor component contained in the sheet in the flavor generation segment from the initial stage to the final stage of suction.

3) Composition, etc. It is preferable that the shape of the flavor generating segment is maintained by the restoring force of the flavor generating sheet. That is, it is preferable that the arranged flavor generating sheet exerts a force to spread outward by the restoring force, and the shape of the flavor generating segment is maintained by receiving the force by the flavor generating sheet or the wrapper existing on the outside. .. Therefore, it is preferable that the restoring force of the innermost flavor generating sheet 10 _in is larger than the restoring force of the other flavor generating sheets because the shape is more stable (FIG. 2A). Restoring force can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the sheet and the presence or absence of surface processing. The thicker the sheet, or the less surface-processed, the greater the restoring force. Therefore, it is preferable to use a sheet that has not been surface-processed as the innermost flavor generating sheet 10 _in. Specifically, the degree of restoring force can be evaluated by winding the sheet around a vertically standing metal rod and measuring the distance between the end faces of the sheet obtained as a result of releasing the force contributing to the winding. In this way, the flavor generation segment can be provided with a function by forming a plurality of flavor generation sheets into a specific configuration. From the viewpoint of making the shape and the like more stable, it is preferable that the wrapper has an overlapping portion. It is preferable that the overlapped portion is adhered.

In addition to this, for example, a configuration in which surface-processed flavor-generating sheets and non-surface-processed flavor-generating sheets are alternately present is also preferable. In this case, it is possible to maintain the shape of the flavor generating segment and secure the gap at the same time. Further, it is also preferable that only one surface of the flavor generating sheet is surface-processed so that the processed surface faces the central axis side of the arrangement. In this case, the strength of the flavor generation segment can be improved. In order to achieve this aspect, it is preferable that the flavor generating sheet is subjected to a half-cut process as a surface process.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, the flavor generating sheet 10 may be arranged so as to form irregularities in the circumferential direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2C (1), a convex portion is formed only on the outer peripheral side, and as shown in FIG. 2C (2), a convex portion is formed on both the outer peripheral side and the central side of the arrangement. Aspects are mentioned. The shape of each flavor generating sheet 10 arranged in the flavor generating segment 1 can be appropriately adjusted depending on the pressure at the time of surface processing, the pitch of the surface processing, and the like. Furthermore, by controlling conditions such as pressure during molding such as winding, the distance between the vertices of the convex portion can be expanded or reduced, and the height difference between the concave portion and the convex portion can be expanded or reduced.

As shown in FIG. 2A, it is preferable that one flavor generating sheet is continuous in the circumferential direction. In one flavor generating sheet, the overlapping portion where the sheets overlap may or may not be present. The overlapping portion is a portion in which one end of the flavor generating sheet in the circumferential direction overlaps beyond the other end in one embodiment. The presence of overlapping portions at both ends has the advantage of improving the strength of the flavor generating segment. However, it is preferable that the flavor generating sheet of the innermost layer is not adhered to the region where one end in the circumferential direction exceeds the other end. This is because the presence of the adhesive region reduces the restoring force of the flavor generating sheet in the innermost layer.

On the other hand, if there is no overlapping portion, there is an advantage that the air flow path can be easily secured. In the mode in which the overlapping portion does not exist, there are a mode in which both ends of the flavor generating sheet are in contact with each other in the circumferential direction and a mode in which both ends are separated from each other. In the embodiment in which both ends are in contact with each other, it is preferable that both ends of the flavor generating sheet in the innermost layer are not adhered. This is because if both ends are adhered, the restoring force of the innermost flavor generating sheet is reduced.

From the viewpoint of ease of manufacture of the flavor generating segment 1, it is preferable to have a mode in which both ends of the flavor generating sheet are separated from each other in the circumferential direction, that is, a separated portion is provided between both ends. The separation distance is not limited, but the distance between both ends of the flavor generating sheet is preferably more than 0 mm and 2 mm or less. When they are separated in this way, both ends are also said to be close to each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 2A in the latter aspect, it is preferable that the separated portions 18 of the flavor generating sheet 10 are present at substantially the same positions in the circumferential direction. The fact that the separated portions are present at substantially the same position means that the separated portions 18 penetrate from the outer peripheral portion toward the center of the arrangement. With such a structure, the production of the flavor generation segment 1 of the present invention becomes easier. However, when the flavor generating sheet 10 is used as a wrapper, both ends of the flavor generating sheet may overlap.

As described above, the peripheral length of the outermost flavor generating sheet is preferably longer than the peripheral length of the innermost flavor generating sheet. As will be described later, a laminate in which a plurality of flavor generating sheets are laminated flat can be rolled up to form a flavor generating segment. In this case, if the circumference is set as described above, the flavor generating segment is formed. It will be easy.

The flavor generation segment may have a space near the central axis of the arrangement. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2A, a space 14 extending in the longitudinal direction may be provided between the central axis 12 of the arrangement and the flavor generation sheet 10 _{in of the innermost layer.} The cross-sectional area of such a space is preferably 15 to 46% of the cross-sectional area of the flavor generation segment 1. By setting the cross-sectional area of the space 14 within a preferable range, it is possible to secure a space for accommodating a cylindrical heater as shown in FIG. 4A, for example, inside the segment. Further, when the flavor generation segment is heated from the outer periphery as shown in FIG. 4C, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of the space 14 is as small as possible. Specifically, the cross-sectional area of the space 14 is preferably equal to or less than the total cross-sectional area of the non-contact portion formed between two adjacent flavor generating sheets.

In the flavor generation segment, the flavor generation is located on the center side in the cross section, that is, further inside the innermost layer of the concentricly arranged flavor generation sheets, or on the side opposite to the center in the cross section, that is, concentrically arranged flavor generation. A heat conductive member may be provided further outside the outermost layer of the sheet. The heat conductive member is preferably a sheet-shaped member (heat transfer sheet), and specifically, a metal sheet such as aluminum can be used. The method of arranging the heat transfer sheet is not limited, but it may be arranged concentrically with the flavor generating sheet (see FIG. 2A), or may be attached to the front surface or the back surface of the flavor generating sheet.

The position where the heat transfer sheet is arranged is not limited, but it is preferable to arrange the heat transfer sheet so as to be close to the heater when the flavor generation system is used because the heat generated from the heater can be efficiently conducted to each flavor generation sheet. Although details will be described later, when the heater 30 is arranged at the center of the flavor generation segment as shown in FIGS. 4A, B, and B', it is preferable that the heat conductive member is also arranged at the center. Further, when the heater is arranged on the outer periphery of the flavor generating segment as shown in C of FIG. 4, it is preferable that the heat conductive member is also arranged on the outer peripheral side of the flavor generating segment.

2. 2. Flavor-generating article FIG. 3 shows one aspect of the flavor-generating article. In FIG. 3, 2 is a flavor-generating article, 1 is a flavor-generating segment, 20 is a mouthpiece, 22 is a filter, 24 is a cavity, and 26 is a support member. The central axis of the arrangement of the flavor generating segment 1 and the longitudinal direction of the flavor generating article 2 are parallel. As described above, the support member and the cavity may be arbitrarily provided in the flavor generating article. The mouthpiece 20 is a member including a mouthpiece and may include a filter 22. The size of the mouthpiece 20 is also not limited, but it is preferably the same width as the flavor generation segment 1, and the length is preferably 26 to 50 mm.

The filter 22 is preferably made of a material usually used in the art, such as a cellulose acetate filter. The length of the filter 22 is preferably 12 to 60% of the total length of the mouthpiece 20.

The cavity 24 is a space, and ventilation may be provided on the side surface of the wrapper forming the cavity 24. The cavity 24 has functions such as cooling the heated flavor and appropriately mixing the flavor and air to prepare the flavor. The length of the cavity 24 is preferably 8 to 77% of the total length of the mouthpiece 20. Further, the cavity 24 may be replaced with a cooling element. Examples of the cooling element include a polylactic acid sheet, and a plurality of polylactic acid sheets that have been crimped can be used as the cooling element.

The support member 26 enhances the strength of the flavor-generating article and retains its shape. The support member 26 is preferably made of a material usually used in the art, such as heat-resistant plastics such as cellulose acetate and polyetheretherketone (PEEK), silicon, and ceramics. Further, as the support member, for example, a cylindrical member having a space provided in the central axis in the longitudinal direction can be preferably used. The length of the support member 26 is preferably 14 to 77% of the total length of the mouthpiece 20.

3. 3. Flavor suction system The flavor suction system of the present invention includes a heater. The heater preferably heats the flavor-generating segment, preferably non-combustible, more preferably electrically. The heater preferably includes a heating unit provided with a power source or the like. FIG. 1 shows one aspect of the flavor suction system of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a flavor generation segment, 20 is a mouthpiece, 22 is a filter, 30 is a heater, and 32 is a heating unit.

The shape of the heater 30 is not limited, but it is preferable that a part of the heater 30 has a shape that can be arranged in the space 14 in the flavor generation segment. For example, it may be a sheet heater, a flat plate heater, or a tubular heater. The sheet-shaped heater is a flexible sheet-shaped heater, and examples thereof include a heater containing a heat-resistant polymer film (thickness of about 20 to 225 μm) such as polyimide. The flat plate heater is a rigid flat plate heater (thickness of about 200 to 500 μm), and examples thereof include a heater having a resistance circuit on a flat plate base material and using the portion as a heat generating portion. The tubular heater is a hollow or solid cylindrical heater, and examples thereof include a heater having a resistance circuit on the outer peripheral surface and having the portion as a heat generating portion. The cross-sectional shape of the tubular heater may be a circle, an ellipse, a polygon, a polygon with rounded corners, or the like.

The heater may be arranged in any arrangement, but a preferred embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the flavor suction system of the present invention. In FIG. 4, 30 is a heater and 10 is a flavor generating sheet.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the heater 30 can be arranged in the space 14 of the flavor generation segment. FIG. 4A shows an embodiment in which a solid cylindrical heater 30 is arranged in the space, and FIG. 4B shows an embodiment in which a flat plate heater 30 is arranged. Although not shown, the flavor generating segment preferably has a heat transfer sheet arranged concentrically with the flavor generating sheet 10, and more preferably the heat transfer sheet is adjacent to the heater 30. As described above, the flat plate heater and the tubular heater are suitable for heating the flavor generating sheet 10 from the inside. When a flat plate heater is used as shown in FIG. 4B', the heater _{may be penetrated so as to break the flavor generation sheet 10 in the} innermost layer or the flavor generation sheet 10 existing in the vicinity thereof.

When the heater 30 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B is arranged in the space 14, _{the cross-sectional area of the void existing from the flavor generation sheet 10 in} of the innermost layer to the central axis direction side of the arrangement is the flavor generation sheet of the innermost layer. It is preferable that it is smaller than the total cross-sectional area of the non-contact portion existing from the outer peripheral side to the outer peripheral side. FIG. 5 shows a part of a cross section of the flavor generation segment 1 in which the heater 30 is arranged in the space 14. In FIG. 5, the cross-sectional area of the former is represented by _{S in} , and the cross-sectional area of the latter is _{represented by S out.} In this embodiment, it is preferable that _{S out} is _{larger than S in.} Further, _{it is more preferable that the relationship between S in} and S _out is maintained in the longitudinal direction of the flavor generating segment, and S _in and S _out are constant values in the longitudinal direction of the flavor generating segment. Is particularly preferred.

When there are m + 1 flavor generating sheets, there are m layers between the two adjacent flavor generating sheets. Assuming that the cross-sectional area of the non-contact portion in each layer is S _m , S _out = S ₁ + ... + S _m holds. At this time, it is more preferable that _{any S m} satisfies the relation S _m > S _in. It is more preferable that the relationship S _m > S _in is maintained in the longitudinal direction of the flavor-generating segment, and the values of _{S m} and S _{in are constant values in the longitudinal direction of the flavor-generating segment.} Is particularly preferable. With such a preferable configuration, the contact efficiency between the air and the flavor generation sheet is increased, so that efficient heat exchange and flavor generation can be achieved. S _out and S _in can be measured by observing a plurality of cross sections of the flavor suction system 3 as in Gmax and Tmax. At this time, it is measured assuming that the flavor generating sheet is present at the separated portion between the flavor generating sheet 10 _in and the flavor generating sheet 10 _out.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the heater 30 can be arranged outside _{the flavor generation sheet 10 out of the innermost layer.} If the flavor generation segment 1 includes a wrapper, the heater 30 may be located outside the wrapper. Further, as shown in FIG. 4D, the heater 30 can be arranged between the flavor generating sheets 10. As described above, the sheet-shaped heater is suitable for heating the flavor generating sheet 10 from the outside or from the middle. The ends of the sheet-shaped heater may be separated or may be in contact with each other. Also in this embodiment, it is preferable that the flavor generating segment has a heat transfer sheet concentrically arranged together with the flavor generating sheet 10, and it is more preferable that the heat transfer sheet is adjacent to the heater 30.

4. Manufacturing Method The manufacturing method of the flavor suction system 3 of the present invention is not limited, but it can be manufactured by preparing components such as a flavor generation segment 1, a mouthpiece 20, and a heater 30 and combining them.

As shown in FIG. 6, for the flavor generation segment 1, a plurality of flavor generation sheets 10 having different widths W are prepared, and a laminated body 100 laminated so that W becomes smaller from the bottom to the top is prepared. Can be manufactured by winding and molding the product by passing it through a winding tube 6. FIG. 6B is a view of the laminated body 100 viewed from the opening direction of the winding tube 6. However, the laminated body 100 is prepared so that a non-contact portion is formed between the adjacent flavor generating sheets after the winding molding. For example, the entire surfaces of adjacent flavor generating sheets 10 are laminated without being bonded, a part of the adjacent flavor generating sheets 10 is bonded and laminated, or the entire surface or a part of the adjacent flavor generating sheets 10 are laminated. The laminated body 100 can be prepared by lightly adhering and laminating so that it can be peeled off after winding molding. If necessary, the heat transfer sheet may be arranged in the laminated body 100, or the wrapper may be arranged at the bottom of the laminated body 100. Further, a space 14 can be formed by placing a tubular dummy such as a mandrel on the top of the laminated body 100 to form the flavor generation segment 1 and then removing the dummy.

When a flat plate heater or a tubular heater is used as the heater 30, the heater 30 can be inserted into the space 14 to manufacture the flavor suction system 3. Further, the flavor suction system 3 may be manufactured by passing the laminated body 100 on which the heater 30 is placed on the uppermost portion through the winding tube 6.

When a sheet-shaped heater is used as the heater 30, the flavor suction system 3 can be manufactured by passing the laminated body 100 in which the heater 30 is arranged between the flavor generating sheets 10 or at the bottom of the sheet 10 through the winding tube 6.

The mouthpiece 20 including the filter 22 may be prepared by a known method. For example, the flavor suction system 3 provided with the filter 22 can be manufactured by arranging the filter 22 at the rear end of the flavor suction system 3 and winding them with a wrapper. If the support member 16 is arranged so as to be in contact with the rear end portion of the flavor suction system 3 and the filter 22 is further separated from the support member 16, the flavor suction system 3 further including the support member 16 and the cavity 24 can be manufactured.

[Example 1]
The flavor generating sheet 10 was manufactured as follows.

Water was added to a mixture of 81.4 wt% tobacco fine powder, 13.1 wt% glycerin, 3.3 wt% guar gum, and 2.2 wt% pulp obtained by crushing tobacco to obtain a slurry. Then, the slurry was spilled into a sheet and then dried to obtain a flavor-generating sheet 10. In this way, a plurality of flavor generating sheets 10 were produced.

The flavor generating sheet 10 was surface-processed using a crimping roller. As the crimping roller, a roller having a chevron or rectangular cross-sectional shape was used. Subsequently, a plurality of flavor generating sheets 10 having been subjected to the surface processing were laminated on a wrapping paper, and a cylindrical dummy was further placed on the uppermost portion to obtain a laminated body 100. After the laminated body 100 is passed through a winding tube having a diameter of 7 mm to wind up the rolling paper and the flavor generating sheet, the cylindrical dummy is pulled out, and the tobacco which is the flavor generating segment 1 having a space extending in the longitudinal direction in the central portion. Manufactured the segment. The half-cut provided by surface processing extended in the longitudinal direction of the segment. The length L of the obtained tobacco segment was 12 mm. Since the diameter of the cylindrical dummy was 3.2 mm, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the space to the cross-sectional area of the flavor generation segment was 20.9%. The proportion was constant over the longitudinal direction of the flavor-generating segment.

A wrapper having a length of 45 mm was prepared, and the tobacco segment was placed on the wrapper so that the longitudinal direction of the wrapper and the longitudinal direction of the tobacco segment were the same. A hollow cylindrical acetate filter with a length of 8 mm was then prepared and placed on the wrapper adjacent to the tobacco segment. At this time, the central axes of both were aligned. The wrapper was wound up to obtain a flavor generating article 2 having each segment in the order of a cigarette segment having a length of 12 mm, a hollow cylindrical acetate filter having a length of 8 mm, and a cavity having a length of 25 mm. The physical characteristics of the tobacco segment are shown below. The composition of the sheets in each sample is the same.

Visually observe the tobacco segment in the flavor-generating article, and in all samples, at least one of the chevron or rectangular irregularities provided on each sheet as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C (1) is adjacent to the sheet. It was confirmed that it was in contact with the sheet. There were multiple such contact parts. It was also confirmed that a non-contact portion (gap) was formed between the contact portion and the contact portion. _{Further, S out} and S _in defined as described above satisfy the relationship of S _out > S _in over the longitudinal direction. Further, the maximum value of the interlayer distance between the two adjacent flavor generating sheets was larger than the maximum value of the flavor generating sheet thickness of at least one of the two adjacent flavor generating sheets. The width of each sheet in Table 1 indicates the width of each sheet in the order of stacking. For example, in sample E, it means that a sheet having a width of 20 mm is arranged on a wrapping paper, and sheets having a width of 18 mm, 16 mm, ... 9 mm are laminated on the sheet in order. The sheet thickness is the thickness of each sheet, and for example, in sample E, it means that each sheet has a thickness of 0.203 mm.

The apparent filling rate and the apparent porosity in the tobacco segment were calculated. The apparent packing factor was calculated by calculating the sheet volume from the thickness, width, and number of laminated sheets, and dividing by the volume of the entire tobacco segment excluding the heater volume. The apparent porosity was calculated by subtracting the apparent porosity from 1.000. The results are shown in Table 2.

[Example 2]
As a heating device for heating the obtained flavor-generating article 2, a hollow cylindrical heater 30 having a length of 12 mm and a diameter of 3.2 mm, a battery for heating the heater, and a heater and a battery are controlled. A heating unit 32 provided with a control circuit and a housing for each member was prepared. The hollow cylindrical heater 30 was inserted into the space of the flavor generating article 2 manufactured in Example 1 to obtain a flavor suction system 3. Regarding the flavor suction system 3, the amount of nicotine in the flavor generation sheet and the amount of nicotine contained in the flavor generated from the flavor suction system 3 were measured, and the nicotine transfer rate was evaluated.

(1) Measurement of the amount of nicotine in the flavor generation sheet The amount of nicotine was measured by a method according to the German standardization organization DIN 10373. 100 mg of a flavor-generating sheet (tobacco sheet) was collected, 3.75 mL of an 11% sodium hydroxide aqueous solution and 5 mL of hexane were added, and the mixture was shaken for 60 minutes for extraction. After extraction, the supernatant hexane phase was subjected to a gas chromatograph-hydrogen flame ionization detector (GC / FID) to quantify the weight of nicotine. The value was divided by the weight of the flavor-generating sheet to obtain the amount of nicotine (N) in the flavor-generating sheet.

(2) Measurement of the amount of nicotine in the flavor An automatic smoking device (RM26 manufactured by Bolgwaldt) connected to a Cambridge filter was used. The automatic smoking device has an electrically controlled suction syringe, and a solenoid valve whose flow path can be changed by a valve controller between the syringe and the Cambridge filter so that fluid communication with the Cambridge filter can be controlled. I was prepared. Each sample was connected to the Cambridge filter of the device, and the amount of nicotine component was measured according to the total number of puff operations. Specifically, the solenoid valve was opened and closed by the valve controller, the syringe being sucked and the Cambridge filter were connected for 2 seconds, and then the Cambridge filter was released into the atmosphere for 28 seconds. After performing one pseudo-puff operation with such an operation as one pseudo-puff operation, the Cambridge filter was collected to obtain an analysis sample in which the flavor of one puff was collected. Suction with a suction syringe was set to have a suction capacity of 55 mL / 2 sec. The amount of nicotine (N1 to N11) contained in the flavors collected by each of the 1st to 11th puffs was determined for one flavor-generating article. Quantification was performed by shaking and extracting each Cambridge filter with 10 mL of EtOH solvent and using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC / MS).

(3) Nicotine transfer rate The nicotine transfer rate in the first puff was calculated by N1 / N. Similarly, the nicotine transfer rate in the 2nd to 11th puffs was calculated. Average values were calculated for the results obtained with the 1st to 3rd and 4th to 11th puffs, respectively. The results are shown below.

As is clear from Table 3, in the three puffs at the initial stage of suction, the nicotine transfer rate increases as the apparent porosity increases. On the other hand, in the 4 to 11 puffs from the middle to the late stage, sample D showed the highest nicotine transfer rate.

Further, the panelists who sucked the generated flavor of the flavor suction system 3 were evaluated to have a good flavor taste in all the samples.

1 Flavor generation segment 10 Flavor generation sheet 12 Central axis of arrangement 14 Space 16 Heat transfer sheet 18 Separation part 100 Laminated body C Contact part V Gap G Distance between flavor generation sheets T Flavor generation sheet thickness L Flavor generation sheet length W Flavor generation Seat width

2 Flavor generating article 20 Mouthpiece 22 Filter 24 Cavity 26 Support member

3 Flavor suction system 30 Heater 32 Heating unit

6 winding tube

Claims (26)

A flavor generation segment having multiple flavor generation sheets.
The plurality of flavor generating sheets extend in the longitudinal direction and are arranged concentrically about the longitudinal axis.
There is a non-contact portion between at least one pair of adjacent flavor generating sheets so that the flavor generating sheets do not come into contact with each other.
Flavor generation segment. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, further comprising a contact portion in which the flavor generation sheets are in contact with each other between at least one pair of the flavor generation sheets. The flavor generation segment according to claim 2, wherein the non-contact portion has two or more contact portions, and the non-contact portion is formed between the contact portions. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, wherein the maximum value of the interlayer distance between the two adjacent flavor generation sheets is larger than the maximum value of the flavor generation sheet thickness of at least one of the two adjacent flavor generation sheets. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, which has a space extending in the longitudinal direction between the longitudinal axis which is the center of the arrangement and the flavor generation sheet of the innermost layer. A heat transfer sheet extending in the longitudinal direction is further included between the longitudinal axis which is the center of the arrangement and the flavor generating sheet in the innermost layer, and the heat transfer sheet is arranged concentrically with the flavor generating sheet. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of flavor generation sheets is surface-processed on at least a part or all of one surface. The flavor generation segment according to claim 7, wherein the surface processing is a crimping process. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, wherein the circumference of the flavor generation sheet in the outermost layer is longer than the circumference of the flavor generation sheet in the innermost layer. The flavor according to claim 1, wherein the flavor generating sheets are continuous in the circumferential direction, and both ends in the circumferential direction are close to each other or in contact with each other, or one end is arranged beyond the other end. Occurrence segment. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, wherein each flavor generation sheet does not have an overlapping portion on which one flavor generation sheet overlaps. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, wherein both ends of each flavor generation sheet in the circumferential direction are separated from each other. The flavor generation segment according to claim 12, wherein the separated portions of the flavor generation sheets are present at substantially equal positions in the circumferential direction. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, wherein the shape is maintained by the restoring force of the flavor generation sheet. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, wherein the restoring force of the innermost flavor generating sheet is larger than the restoring force of the other flavor generating sheets. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1 or 15, wherein the flavor generation sheet in the innermost layer is not surface-processed. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, 15, or 16, wherein the flavor generation sheet of the innermost layer is not adhered to a region where one end exceeds the other end or the other end in the circumferential direction. The flavor generation segment according to claim 1, wherein a wrapper is provided on the outside of the flavor generation sheet of the outermost layer. An article having a flavor generating segment and a filter according to claim 1, which can be sucked from the filter side. A flavor suction system comprising the flavor generation segment according to claim 1 and a heater for heating the flavor generation segment. The flavor generating segment has a space extending in the longitudinal direction between the longitudinal axis which is the center of the arrangement and the flavor generating sheet of the innermost layer, and at least a part of the heater is in the space. The flavor suction system according to claim 20, which has a shape that can be positioned. 21. The flavor suction system according to claim 21, wherein the heater is a flat plate or cylindrical heater. In the cross section seen from the end direction in the longitudinal direction of the flavor generating segment, the area of the void existing from the flavor generating sheet of the innermost layer to the longitudinal axis side which is the center of the arrangement is the outer peripheral side from the flavor generating sheet of the innermost layer. 21. The flavor suction system according to claim 21, which is smaller than the area of the non-contact portion existing over. The flavor suction system according to claim 20, wherein the heater is a sheet-shaped heater and is arranged concentrically with the flavor generating sheet. The flavor suction system according to claim 20, wherein the flavor generating segment is a heat transfer sheet extending in the longitudinal direction and has a heat transfer sheet arranged concentrically with the flavor generating sheet. 25. The flavor suction system according to claim 25, wherein the heat transfer sheet and the heater are adjacent to each other.

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